Dairy-Free Stuffed Salmon Recipe with Creamy Avocado Sauce

This delicious, dairy-free stuffed salmon recipe was originally shared with us by our friends at Foods Matter, an online magazine for allergies and other autoimmune disorders. They suggested this dish as an alternative to classic holiday dinners, but we think it’s also a great weeknight dish. It’s relatively fast, easy, rich in healthy fats, and loaded with green vegetables. It’s also a wonderful meal for various special diets, including paleo, gluten-free, and even Whole30!

Healthy Stuffed Salmon with Creamy Dairy-Free Avocado Sauce

This easy dinner is delicious as is, but we do have a few quick updates for guidance and alternatives if needed.

How Much Salt? I’m not a fan of “salt to taste” when you’re salting raw foods! I would start with 1 teaspoon salt on the salmon. Once cooked, you can salt the entire dish to taste, as desired. For the sauce, I would start with 1/4 teaspoon, and add more to taste. Please note that the sodium listed in the recipe does not include any added salt. Each 1/4 teaspoon of salt adds 97 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Fennel Alternative: The bulb isn’t nearly as strong as fennel seed. But if you aren’t a fan, or can’t find it at your store, you can substitute a yellow onion.
Which Coconut Milk? This recipe calls for full-fat canned coconut milk. If you substitute light canned coconut milk or a milk beverage, the sauce will be less creamy and thinner.

Special Diet Notes: Stuffed Salmon with Avocado Sauce

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, keto, and paleo-friendly.

Dairy-Free Stuffed Salmon with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

This is a delicious main to serve over the holidays, but it's healthy enough to enjoy any day.

Author: adapted from Foods Matter

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: American

Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients

½ bulb fennel, sliced very thinly
6 spring onions, chopped small (can sub green onions, if needed)
2 lemons
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Olive oil, as needed
2¼ pounds salmon fillet, slit through the center for stuffing.
3 leeks, finely sliced
6 heads bok choy, chopped roughly
2 small avocados, peeled and pitted
⅞ cup coconut milk
Fresh dill, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, stir together the fennel, spring onions, zest from 1 lemon, salt, and pepper.
Drizzle some oil into a baking dish large enough to fit the salmon.
Stuff the fish with the fennel mixture, and place it in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the salmon with a little salt and pepper.
Cover the dish very tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the leeks are quite soft. Add the bok choy and a little salt and pepper. Re-cover the pan and continue to cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until the bok choy is cooked but not mushy.
When you are nearly ready to serve the fish, add the avocados, coconut milk, and juice of the two lemons to your blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the fish carefully from the pan, skin, and lay on a serving dish. Pile the bok choy and leeks around the fish and spoon some of the avocado sauce over the fish. Garnish with the fresh dill to serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙ recipe Calories: 433 Fat: 30g Saturated fat: 10.5g Carbohydrates: 18.3g Sugar: 4.9g Sodium: 131mg Fiber: 7g Protein: 28.5g